Bannon urges Hearts caution

The Edinburgh club secured second place in the Bank of Scotland Premier League with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen at a packed Tynecastle and the final whistle signalled scenes of delight that could hardly have been topped if Hearts had actually won the SPL title.

However, Bannon warned the Gorgie club of the dangers of over-ambition, saying: "It's refreshing that the Old Firm have been split. It's a fantastic achievement for Hearts and of course the money that goes with it is a huge part of (majority shareholder Vladimir) Romanov's jigsaw.

"He has put a lot of money into the club and he will be wanting a return. If they get through the qualifiers into the group stages then they say it's worth up to £10million.

"But even then it doesn't add up for me. I don't think anyone can see football as an investment, they have to do it for the love of the game and the passion of being involved.

"Pre-Bosman, I would have said it made sense to invest in players who you could sell on but now players hold power that they haven't had before.

"Players who are rated in the multi-million pound bracket can become worthless if their contract is allowed to run down.

"Celtic and Rangers have tried to speculate to accumulate and they have been left in debt. And I just hope Hearts don't end up in the same state as Dundee who are struggling to survive now.

"If Romanov is a multi-millionaire and is willing to invest then fine but I just hope it doesn't end in tears.

"But the Hearts fans are just basking in the glory of it all now, they will just be looking forward to the draw and planning their trips away in Europe next season."